Dr Tom Brownlee PhD, CSci, ASCC, FHEA

Dr Tom Brownlee

School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences
Assistant Professor in Applied Sport Sciences

Contact details

Email
t.brownlee@bham.ac.uk
Twitter
@tombrownlee_
View my research portal
Address
School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Tom’s expertise lies in sports performance. This stems from working for nearly a decade in professional sport including with Liverpool Football Club where he conducted his PhD research. Tom’s area of research interest is applied physiology and particularly strength and conditioning.

Qualifications

  • BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science
  • MSc Exercise Physiology
  • PhD Applied Exercise Physiology

Biography

Tom completed his undergraduate degree at Coventry University, which included a sandwich year at the University of Bath working as a physiologist with elite athletes. This sparked a passion for the applied world and led him to work for three years at Coventry City FC as a sports scientist while finishing his degree and undertaking his MSc in Exercise Physiology at Loughborough University. Following that Tom worked at Liverpool FC as a sports scientist while investigating youth strength and conditioning practices in the club as part of his PhD. Tom then spent five years as an academic member of staff at Liverpool John Moores University where he supervised others in professional sports settings.

Teaching

Teaching includes Introduction to Sports Science and Athletic Training and Conditioning.

Postgraduate supervision

Tom has been involved in the successful completion of three and examination of two doctoral students as well as a number of Masters students. Tom also has a number of current supervisions and has particular experience in supervising individuals who are embedded in high performance sport as well as more conventional PhD candidates. Typically, Tom’s PhD vacancies are advertised via his Twitter account.

Research

Tom’s current research focuses on high-performance sport with specific interest in strength training, periodisation, nutrition and communication of information with coaches.

Other activities

Tom leads the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association’s (UKSCA) football special interest group and works as a consultant for the English Premier League. He also regularly reviews for a number of journals related to exercise physiology and performance sport (e.g. Journal of Sport Science, International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, European Journal of Sports Sciences).

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Rolnick, N, Novak, J, Bradley, W, Brownlee, T, de Queiros, VS, Hughes, L, Landers, J, Loenneke, JP, Morgan, C & Stray-Gundersen, S 2026, 'A Debate on the Necessity, Practicality, and Importance of Arterial Occlusion Pressure Usage in Blood Flow Restriction Research and Practice', Strength and Conditioning Journal. https://doi.org/10.1519/SSC.0000000000000990

Franceschi, A, Robinson, MA, Owens, DJ, Brownlee, T, Bampouras, TM, Connolly, DR, Ferrari Bravo, D & Enright, K 2026, 'Quantification of training and match load during non-congested and congested microcycles in academy football players: a UEFA Youth League team case study', International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2026.2685437

Morgan, DK, Trakman, GL, Boardley, ID, Page, T, Drust, B & Brownlee, T 2026, 'The development and validation of a football-specific nutrition knowledge questionnaire for use within adolescent footballers', Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, vol. 23, no. 1, 2671429. https://doi.org/10.1080/15502783.2026.2671429

Nosek, P, Andrew, M, Brownlee, T & Roberts, S 2026, '“You can’t play in the Premier League without good sprint distance”: Exploring the perceptions of professional soccer coaches in England on the usefulness and application of training load data', International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching. https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541261448863

Franceschi, A, Robinson, MA, Owens, DJ, Brownlee, T, Connolly, DR, Coutts, AJ, Ferrari Bravo, D & Enright, K 2025, 'Post-Match Recovery Responses in Italian Serie A Youth Soccer Players: Effects of Manipulating Training Load 48 h After Match Play', European journal of sport science, vol. 25, no. 5, e12297. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsc.12297

Westbrooks, J, Low, DA & Brownlee, TE 2024, 'Determining the definition and components of successful soccer referee performance', Journal of Sports Sciences, vol. 41, no. 24, pp. 2187-2192. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2024.2317641

McGregor, R, Anderson, L, Weston, M, Brownlee, T & Drust, B 2024, 'Intensity gradients: a novel method for interpreting external loads in football', International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, vol. 19, no. 8, pp. 829-832. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2023-0435

Andrew, M, Ford, PR, Alder, SE, Champ, FM, Brownlee, TE, Datson, N & Causer, J 2024, 'Talent development in female soccer: Developmental activities of professional players in England', Journal of Sports Sciences, vol. 42, no. 10, pp. 853-864. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2024.2356434

Franceschi, A, Robinson, MA, Owens, DJ, Brownlee, T, Bampouras, TM, Ferrari Bravo, D & Enright, K 2024, 'Training loads and microcycle periodisation in Italian Serie A youth soccer players', Journal of Sports Sciences, vol. 42, no. 15, pp. 1410-1420. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2024.2391648

Samarein, MR, Samanipour, MH, Asjodi, F, Shokati, P, Fallahi, Z, Brownlee, TE, Brito, JP, Bragazzi, NL & Oliveira, R 2023, 'Comparisons and associations among anthropometric indices of first and second division and assistant soccer referees', Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 14, 1149779. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1149779

McQuilliam, SJ, Clark, DR, Erskine, RM & Brownlee, TE 2023, 'Effect of High-Intensity vs. Moderate-Intensity Resistance Training on Strength, Power, and Muscle Soreness in Male Academy Soccer Players', Journal of Strength Conditioning Research. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000004387

McQuilliam, SJ, Clark, DR, Erskine, RM & Brownlee, TE 2023, 'Physical testing and strength and conditioning practices differ between coaches working in academy and first team soccer', International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching. https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541231155108

Franceschi, A, Robinson, MA, Owens, D, Brownlee, T, Ferrari Bravo, D & Enright, K 2023, 'Reliability and sensitivity to change of post-match physical performance measures in elite youth soccer players', Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, vol. 5, 1173621. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2023.1173621

Bianchi, M, Anderson, L, Brownlee, T, Bossi, L & Beato, M 2023, 'The effect of two sessions of combined jump and sprint training per week on fitness parameters in soccer players. A randomized controlled trial', Biology of Sport, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 699-706. https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2023.119287

Review article

Beato, M, Datson, N, Anderson, L, Brownlee, T, Coates, A & Hulton, A 2023, 'Rationale and Practical Recommendations for Testing Protocols in Female Soccer: A Narrative Review', Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, vol. 37, no. 9, pp. 1912-1922. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000004509

View all publications in research portal

Expertise

Football, sport science, fitness, strength, nutrition

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